About El Merkury
El Merkury started as a dream project that quickly evolved into a reality. Today, we’re a Central American street food staple in the Philadelphia foodie scene with big dreams of bringing our community together through food.
Flavor with Roots
To understand our mission and our menu, let’s first dive into a history lesson taking us back to prehistoric Yucatan Peninsula. Mayans were gatherers first, hunters second, and their diet was based on corn, beans, chilis and chocolate.
The Mayans were creative and innovative with their ingredients, passing down traditions for generations and generations. Today, these Guatemalan staples are the foundation of our ever-growing and -changing Merk menu.
On our menu, you’ll find a mix of traditional Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras flavors with a modern street food flare. Hand-held items like pupusas, tostadas, taquitos, and churros make up the lion share of our most popular items.
Where It All Began
The early El Merkury days were filled with fun catering events and pop-up events around the city where we got to share our Central American street food delicacies with bigger and bigger crowds.
As our popularity grew, so did our mission and our menu. Eventually, our dreams and aspirations outgrew our online operation.
Laying the Groundwork
In 2018, we were able to snag a brick-and-mortar in the heart of Philadelphia’s immensely popular Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. The proximity of our original brick-and-mortar to the historic and beautiful Rittenhouse Square Park brought us a lot of foot traffic
Thanks to our loyal and expanding customer base, we’re excited to be expanding into a second space just three years after establishing our first physical storefront.
Made-with-Love Churros
Our claim to fame is our made-to-order-with-love churros. Unlike your typical stick-like churro, our churros are a sight to behold. Looping around in a foot-high circle and stuffed down into smooth soft serve, our churro desserts are a piece of art.
Come Visit Us!
Now that we’re conveniently located on both sides of Center City as well as online through various food delivery apps, there’s no reason not to come say hi. Stop by our Chestnut Street location today or our new Reading Terminal Market location!
